Once Upon a Tragedy
by D34THtheCH1CK
Summary: Amu is a sophomore at Seiyo High and is known as the 'Cool and Spicy' girl. Ever since the 'incident' she has gotten more & more curious about Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the only one who knows her secret, but will she ever know his? Will fate bring them closer?
1. Ch1

**New Amuto Story...Hope you like it(x **

**Summary: Amu is a sophomore at Seiyo High and is the 'unpopular' yet 'Cool and Spicy' girl. Tadase and every other boy at Seiyo High School is crushing on her but hasn't caught her eye; Tsukiyomi Ikuto has. Ever since the 'incident' she has gotten more and more curious about him. He's the only one who knows about her secret, but will she ever know his?**

**[I Don't Own Shugo Chara] **

**DTC: So whada ya think?**

**Ikuto: Um…**

**Amu: Why is it so dramatic?**

**Ikuto: Have you even looked at the title?**

**Amu: Oh yeah…..wow its…ehh**

**DTC: You know what just read it and then comment kay? –laughs evil laugh-**

**Ikuto: …**

**Amu: … o-okay?...**

**Amu: Wow this better get at _least_three reviews…or…or I'm quitting. –dies of embarrassment- **

**Ikuto: *gasps* But that would take the fun out of amazing!**

**Amu: Dude there is no fun i-**

**Ikuto: Shut-up Amu….**

**DTC: Okay we get it! People want to read my awepic awesome story you know… **

**Amu: …**

**Ikuto: …**

**DTC: … anyways…..I hope you like it!**

**Once Upon a Tragedy **

It was official that the weekend was over, since the alarm clock was ringing its annoying ring at 6:30am, Monday.

Amu didn't feel like getting out of bed since she had been studying all night long, trying to cram as much information as she could before the semester exams; which her grades depended on.

The pinkette rolled off her covers and got out of bed, yawning. She looked in the mirror and saw her exhausted reflection.

She groaned and walked to her closet, picking out her everyday school uniform which was black, white, and dark blue.

After getting dressed she fixed her hair and looked in the mirror, thinking she looked fine.

Amu wasn't the type of girl who cared so much about her outer appearance, unlike her sister Ami who would never go to school looking like a 'slob' with just the slightest piece of hair out of place.

"Amu! Where'd you put my hairbrush! Ughh I can't find my makeup stuff anywhere!", yelled Ami, Amu's 12 year old sister.

"I don't know why would I take your stuff?" said the pinkette not paying attention as she tried to find her favorite arm band, which she wore everyday.

"Gee thanks a lot Amu, you're so helpful." , snickered Ami who was tearing up her room over a brush and makeup.

"Oh I found it!", said Ami as she came out of the room and stood in the older pinkette's doorway wearing short shorts, the school sweater, high heels, and too much jewelry and make-up altogether.

Amu had always thought that her younger sister over thought her everyday outfit just because she was one of those 'cool popular kids' at her school with the newest look. She dropped the thought as she saw the time. "Oh crap I'm gunna be late!" , yelled the pinkette as she glanced around the room. She spotted her arm band on the floor in the corner and ran to pick it up. She fastened it to her left arm and ran down the stairs toward the door. The pinkette grabbed her bag and ran out the door with out saying goodbye.

_**Time Skip to [right before] afterschool. **_

"I'll be giving out the semester grades tomorrow after school so don't forget! Oh and one more thing, there will be a study class afterschool today in room 305 for those who wish to raise their grade.", said Nikaido, the pinkette's weird and pervy teacher.

"Oh great, just what I need", thought Amu sarcastically.

The bell rang and everybody ran out of the room, eager to get away from Nikaido's dreary classroom to go hang out with friends before going home.

A petite blonde walked over to the pinkette's desk. "Come on lets go! You take forever to pack up! Kukai and Nagi are waiting you know…" said the blonde as she impatiently pulled out her cell phone and started texting someone.

As they left the room the pinkette got out her cell phone and texted her mom, telling her that she would be home late today.

It was lightly raining when they got outside, where two guys ran over to them smiling.

"What took you guys so long!" said Kukai with a confused expression.

"Yeah we've been waiting forever you know.", said Nagi; Rima's current boyfriend.

"Wasn't me it was slowpoke over here", said Rima as she glanced in the pinkette's direction with a smirk on her face.

Kukai laughed and said, "Score for Rima, Strike number one for Amu".

The pinkette didn't get why he to relate almost _everything_to sports but he was one of those top-league soccer players so she understood.

Rima ran towards the blue-haired boy and hugged him. He hugged her back and lifted her off the ground laughing.

"Nagi!", laughed the blonde. They both laughed in synchrony as if they were a perfect match for each other.

Rima was tall but shorter than Amu with a sporty, slim figure. She had long, blonde, wavy hair with brown eyes; which Nagi thought was angelic.

"Yeah sorry guys, anyways I've got to go to some study thing after school or else I'll probably fail the semester." joked Amu as she turned to leave for room 305.

"Wow are you really _that_ bad? I'm just kidding! Kay bye Amu!", said the blonde as she turned and walked away, hand in hand with Nagi.

Amu smirked and said, "No I'm not actually, I just wanted to raise my grade a whole letter higher if its even possible.", said the pinkette sarcastically.

"Well I gotta' go guys, I've got soccer practice. Bye!", yelled Kukai as he dashed for the gym.

The pinkette walked away after seeing her friends leave and began walking towards the 200 building.

The pinkette waited until everyone had left before she started to walk towards the 200 building. She walked through the large double doors and up the stairs and down the hall.

She walked into the class and saw Nikaido, Yaya, a lot of the popular kids who were into looks and not books, and Tsukiyomi Ikuto sitting in the far back with his hood on.

She wasn't surprised to see him there but since he barely paid attention in class except when the teacher was talking to him or sending him outside. She sat down in the back, a few seats away from Ikuto since that was the only seat available.

They started the class off with Algebra 2 and made their way to History, then English.

_**Time Skip to the end of class.**_

After the horrible 90 minutes of torture, the bell rang. The pinkette saw Tsukiyomi Ikuto run out of class and walk down the hall with an undefined grace.

The pinkette was the last to leave as she walked through the doors and down the hall. She hoped she could raise her grade but dropped the subject and changed to her 'Cool and Spicy' character.

"Amu-chan!", yelled Tadase as he ran after the pinkette. "Are you walking home today?", he asked curiously.

"Oh, no I'm getting picked up", said the pinkette as she lied to the one, persistent guy who had asked her out numerous times and was always rejected.

"Oh ok…maybe next time.", said the blonde with a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Well, bye Amu-chan!", he yelled as he ran to catch up with some friends.

"Bye.", said the pinkette as she walked away, knowing he probably didn't hear her.

Wow is he ever going to give up? , the pinkette thought to herself.

As she got out of the building she began walking towards the field, where a gate to the back of the school was, a shortcut to her house.

She was halfway across the field when four guys, who looked like juniors or seniors, began to follow the pinkette. She didn't even notice until one of them laughed. She immediately turned around and asked," What do you losers want?"

"Nothing much, just looking for trouble", one of them joked. Amu noticed that they were ganging up on her so she backed up, and turned to run but one of them had grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Let go of me!", the pinkette yelled repeatedly.

When they reached the gate one of the guys pulled her towards the wall and let go with much force, causing Amu to stumble and hit her head against the school's dumpster.

"Stop!", the pinkette yelled continuously as she rubbed her head.

Ikuto was walking near the field when he thought he heard a scream from behind the school's wall.

He wasn't quite sure and thought it was a car skidding or something else. Just to be sure he began walking across the field and towards the alley, since he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day.

One guy, whom everyone called Koya, pulled Amu's bad and threw it to the floor, causing papers and books to be strewn everywhere. The pinkette struggled as he shoved her against the wall and began to unbutton her blouse and pull her skirt halfway off.

"Help me!" yelled the pinkette, now crying. Amu was now half naked and struggling to get free when he pulled out a pocket knife and swore he would cut her if she moved anymore.

She didn't care what he said and struggled some more, managing to get free of his grasp for a few, short seconds before he pulled her back and once again pushed her against the wall.

She felt the blade enter her arm and screamed at the top of her lungs and cried. Her scream was muffled by another guy called Heiko, who made her scream almost unnoticeable but loud enough for Ikuto to hear.

Koya unbuckled his pants and pushed the pinkette against the wall. After muffling her scream he entered her; taking away something Amu would never be able to retrieve and leaving her with a memory that would haunt her forever.

The pinkette knew that she was now nothing more that a used piece of trash that nobody would ever want.

Her pain lasted a few minutes and then he was done.

Heiko and the others laughed while one said, "Man that is just messed".

"No you know what Heiko? The only thing messed is that thing on your neck, oh yeah I forgot it's called your face…huh", yelled Koya annoyed.

Koya was apparently one of the 'un-smart' people who was careless and didn't care about anything.

"You better not say anything to anyone! You hear me!", said Koya.

"I-I won-won't I-I promise!", cried the pinkette, desperate to escape.

"Well I'm just going to make sure", laughed Koya as he punched Amu hard across the face, knocking her out almost instantly.

Ikuto was almost to the gate when he heard another bloodcurdling scream. He knew something was wrong and began running and reaching the gate within a matter of seconds. He passed the gates and saw a gang of guys crowding beside the dumpster.

He heard crying and screams mixed together and immediately ran toward its source. He couldn't believe what he saw, Hinamori Amu who, by the looks of it, had been raped and stabbed.

All of the guys got up and were about to kick the pinkette once in her stomach when Ikuto said, "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?."

Koya's gang all turned around and saw Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the one kid who no one cared about. "Well look who it i-", said Koya as he was cut off by a hard, cold punch in the face. Ikuto turned around and stared at the rest of the guys through his hood.

They knew he couldn't actually see them but they knew he was watching them and was ready to move at any second. They took off and ran down the alley and around the corner, leaving an unconscious Koya on the floor.

Ikuto stared down the cold, dark alley and then at Amu. He picked her up and leaned her in his lap. He lifted up the pinkette and saw that she had been stabbed pretty deep, causing blood to ooze out of the wound.

He put the pinkette's belongings in his schoolbag and reached for his keys and a handkerchief. Ikuto had to close the wound before it got infected so he carefully, but quite fast, pulled out the knife which caused some tears to escape down the pinkette's face.

He cursed and covered up her wound, being careful not to open it any more than it already was. Ikuto hugged Amu and then picked her up and began to walk towards his car, which was parked in the far end of the alley.

Ikuto liked the way Amu fit in his arms, as if she was specially made for him, like two long lost puzzle pieces finally matched together.

It was heavily raining now as he walked up to the car and clicked open the door. He opened the backseat door and set the pinkette inside, carefully laying her down across the seat. He took off his sweater and laid it over the pinkette, covering half of her cold, pale, body.

He closed the car door and ran to the driver's side, nearly soaking wet. He didn't care except for the fact that Amu was safe now in his protection. He put keys in the ignition and started the car.

He glanced at the pinkette before starting the car, a pitch black Mercedes car with dark tinted windows.

He looked forward again and drove, drove through the rain and away from the place that would stay in the pinkette's memory forever.


	2. Ch2

**Hey sorry I haven't been uploading lately, I've been busy with school and. . .shtuff. Anyways, I hope you like it. [I don't own Shugo Chara]**

**Raven: So, wassup people? **

**DTC: Umm your mom. Hullo Jackie-ch-...I mean Mackie-chan!**

**Mackie-chan~: Jerk. **

**Raven: I could say the same thing.**

**Herondale: Score. . . **

**Oli-chi~~: -still drooling over Mr. Herondale with puppy dog eyes- **

**Raven: You two are just. . .so. . .**

**DTC: Awepic. . .? Dude. . .We already knew that ._. **

**Herondale: - Smirks- **

**Mackie-chun: If you even 'value' the little time left of your lives, you would shut up, because if you don't, I'll make it a memory you WON'T forget. **

**Herondale: THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. . .**

**DTC: -does secret hand shake with Herondale- Nice one bro(:**

**Herondale: Why thank you.**

**Raven: For the love of my sanity and your lives, WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH IT?**

**Herondale & DTC: . . .**

**Raven: Finally! I shut them up!**

**Oli-chi~~: Trust me, you didn't. . .**

**Herondale & DTC: -grin evily at each other- **

**Raven: -smacks forehead- Here we go again. . . **

**Once Upon A Tragedy [Ch. 2] **

Ikuto drove faster after passing each signal, the car purring quietly under the never-ending blanket of rain.

He'd glance at the pinkette every so often, wondering how he should confront her about the previous happening, or how she'd react when she woke up.

The pinkette still lay motionless, unconscious, as if she'd been trapped in an everlasting dream.

_Amu felt herself being consumed into a never-ending pool of darkness, almost drowning, when she heard a soothing, angelic voice pull her toward the surface. _

Ikuto only then remembered that he had lent the pinkette his sweater, having nothing to conceal his face with. He didn't want her to be involved in his life for one reason; to protect her, but apparently it was unavoidable now.

_A loud slap could be heard from across the room; his stepfather had just slapped his mother across her face with an impact so hard it sent her to the floor. Ikuto, only a young boy, ran in and punched his father, screaming curses at him. "Ikuto you little-!", was all Ikuto heard as another loud slap, followed by a gasp, was heard throughout the room. Ikuto felt the warm sensation of blood trickle down his face and off his nose, but he didn't care. He continued to stand in front of his mother, who had gotten up, and told him to leave the room. He hadn't gotten along at all with his step father after that, and he had a scar to prove it._

Ikuto traced his fingers over the scar, which ran from the top to the bottom of his cheekbone. He had always hated his stepfather, who seemed to endlessly, both physically and verbally, abuse him and his on the other hand, who had become a 'rebel' in her elementary years, sneaking off in the middle of the night, sometimes not even coming home for a few days, just to escape her father's presence; not that she listened to him anyways, and look at her now.

Ikuto's biological father would never have done that to him or his family, but it didn't make him any better. His father, Tsukiyomi Aruto, had left when the blue-haired boy was four, leaving behind a sorrowful family to find a more successful future, taking his eldest son, Tsukai.

Ikuto knew little about his older brother, only knowing him for two years. He knew that his brother cared about him, Utau not being born yet, and only wanted the best for his small, and still growing, family.

Little did Aruto's family know that it was for their own good. His plan was to take his musician's business elsewhere to make a larger profit to support his beloved family who, at the time, was associated with the large company Easter. Aruto despised Easter's founder, a man of pure greed who could care less about the Tsukiomi family, one of the reasons he'd left on such short notice.

As Ikuto regained his self-awareness, he was pulling into the driveway of his _secret_ apartment, a rugged and small place that screamed _fix me up!_all over it with each passing glance.

He stopped the car and took the keys from the ignition, a familiar and swift gesture. He climbed out of his car and opened the rear door, carefully lifting the pinkette from her position, and carried her outside.

**[Four Hours Later…]**

The blue-haired boy had fallen asleep at the foot of his bed, obviously awaiting the pinkette's revival. He was slumped over, cell phone in hand, as the pinkette slowly began to open her eyes.

Amu felt groggy as she finally awoke from her 'everlasting' slumber, only to once again realize that she was with Ikuto at, for the moment, a place not yet identified. She blinked, trying to recall her memories, shivering at the thought as they immediately rushed backed to her.

She sat up immediately, and yelped in pain and discomfort. She had forgotten about her stab wound which hurt more now than it did a while ago. She was surprised to see her arm bandaged and cleaned before she focused her gaze on Ikuto, only then remembering that he'd wanted to major in medicine to become a doctor; so he'd taken all these weird Medic and Biology classes to fill in for it. She had already known Ikuto must have been the one to see to her wound, who else would have?

Hearing this Ikuto sat up and fell back, looking around and then at the pinkette. He saw that she wore the perfect poker-face as she continued to stare at him.

Only then did he realize that she must have been staring at his scar, now revealed to the one person in the world whom he never wanted to show it to.

He quickly covered his face and in the action, had bumped his head against the small nightstand at the foot of the bed beside him. "O-Ow.", he said quietly, rubbing his head all the while.

The pinkette had managed to keep a small crooked smile from erupting on her face, knowing she didn't have the urge to smile. She gave the boy a look that immediately seemed to say, "Are you alright?".

Ikuto, as if reading her mind as if it were as easy as reading the words off of a paper, said, "Really? _You're_ asking _me _if I'm _okay_? Man you _must_have hit your head pretty hard.", he laughed as he abruptly stood up. The cerulean-eyed boy only then realized that he had used 'harsh' sarcasm on her, not knowing how she'd react. He scowled and pulled himself up, rubbing his head all the while. "Yeah, I'm fine.", he said quietly, not meeting her curious gaze. Only then did Amu realize how skinny Ikuto was, noticing even more now since he was up close.

"Nmm.", replied the pinkette, not feeling up for many words. She had been holding soemthing back this whole time, still unsure of what it was but knowledgeable that it would come free soon if not now.

"Erh, yeah I spared a sweater and some stuff that used to be Ut- never mind, I'll leave now.", said Ikuto as he then got up, still rubbing his head, and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

The pinkette faked a smile out of pure politeness and quickly glanced at his clock, reading six forty five. Funny how he had kept his small box-clock in the same exact place where she'd kept her own, obviously the reason she'd turned to see the clock and know precisely where it was in the first place. She sighed, feeling her eyes water, but did not start crying. She had always told she'd been best at concealing her feelings, but sometimes you just had to give in, or so Rima had said.

Amu stared at the clothes on the small, old dresser: a large, over-sized gray sweater lay over a pair of skinny jeans that, by the looks of it seemed to be her size, obviously Utau's 'ancient' and now abandoned ones. She then stared at her own clothes, her uniform hanging in shreds over her small figure.

She looked around for her cell phone, blinking her almost dry eyes, thinking it would be with the clothes the cerulean-eyed boy had provided, but it was clearly out of her sight. She moved some things around, frantically searching for it when sheknocked down what seemed to be a small, framed photograph.

The pinkette bent to pick it up when she heard a quiet, yet noticeable, buzzing sound coming from the dresser: her phone, half hidden by a small tin box which she wondered beheld. She grabbed her phone and looked at the number, her mom. _Great, I'm busted for sure now_, she thought to herself.

Ikuto leaned on his kitchen counter, fingers tapping rapidly on the tile. He didn't know what to do when the pinkette, whom he so much admired, would walk in the room and start up small talk, if she did that is..

Amu sighed once before answering the call, knowing the news that awaited her.  
>"Hel-Hello?", she answered nervously.<p>

"Amu! Where have you been! You told me you were coming home at _least_an hour or two after school! It's already been what, four or five hours?", yelled Midori, totally oblivious to the previous situation.

"I kno-know and I'm sorry. I ended up getting out later than I expected. I was trying to call you but I guess the call didn't go through.", explained the pinkette who'd glanced once more at the small nightstand clock.

"Just get home soon, then we'll talk. I've been meaning to tell you something, and don't go thinking you'll be off the hook alright? Be expecting some sort of punishment, grounding perhaps, when you get home!", yelled Midori in her small, stressed out tone. After a small made-up story Amu fed her mother, she closed the phone. She then took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to face Ikuto.

Ikuto heard the pinkette talking to someone. He wondered who it was but immediately jumped to the thought of her parents. _Of course they'd be calling. I'm sure they want to know where their high school daughter is after not calling them for almost three hours with them not even knowing where she was. Great, this is all my fault,_he thought to himself.

Amu sighed at the thought of her punishment which probably had something to do with 'helping' Ami. She sighed at the thought of helping her little sister who was way too obsessed with her public appearance and social life. Why didn't her mom understand that Ami failed in school because she _wanted_to? If only her dad were still alive, he'd understand, he always did.

She sighed before walking over to the door, thinking of the possible punishments that awaited her at home. She then looked down, seeing the photograph she had knocked down. She bent and picked it up, seeing a closer image of a young man kneeling beside a small brunette boy holding an award. Amu narrowed her eyes, trying to read the small writing on the award when at last she found it. She read the small script, not recognizing the beholder: Tsukiyomi Tsukai, February 28th, 1993.

_Ikuto has a bro-brother!,_thought the pinkette curiously. She knew it was wrong to peek in on people's personal lives, but this was something she couldn't ignore. She knew about the cerulean-eyed boy's sister, Hoshina Utau, the school's best honor roll student, not that it mattered, and the school's most popular girl around, well in the school's eyes that is. She had always wondered why the girl had taken her step-father's name instead of keeping the family name: Tsukiyomi, not that it mattered.

After dropping the subject, she remembered Ikuto, and how he had probably been waiting for her the whole time. She walked slowly to the door and walked out, the baggy sweater swaying on her small, petite figure. She rubbed her eyes and stepped into the so-called empty 'kitchen' where, to her surprise, the cerulean-eyed boy was fumbling through his cabinets.

"Talking to your dad? He sounded pretty mad at you.", joked Ikuto, totally oblivious to the response he was about to get.

The pinkette was struck with sudden emotion at the sound of his words, not knowing why. "M-my dad's dead Ikuto. He died in a plane accident on his way home from a business trip, just if you wanted to know.", said Amu, obviously struck by the conversation.

Ikuto immediately resented every bit of what he had said, putting a finger gun to his head in his mind, an action he usually joked about with his friends; but who was he kidding? What friends, might you ask. His last friend, well his sister's friend who he'd become close acquaintances with, had moved out of the country barely a year ago, a girl about his age: Tainaka Nadeshiko, usually called Nade for short, not that he wanted to even bring up the though at the moment.

"Sorry, I-I didn't know.", he managed to say, hoping the pinkette would accept his 'apology'. _Man I'm such a jerk,_he thought quietly to himself.

After dropping the thought he decided to bring up another subject. "Oy, So, are you hungry or anything?", asked Ikuto, hoping he would strike a bell in Amu's head. "You look pretty starved if you don't mind me saying.", said Ikuto, hoping she wouldn't take that as offensive.

_You're one to talk, _thought Amu to herself, not knowing what Ikuto's reaction would be to her over-sarcastic attitude at a time such as this one if she'd said it aloud. She never really knew why she was so sarcastic; it just came to her naturally. It had become a natural habit for the pinkette to grow sarcastic whenever she was nervous or worried about something, one of the reasons she was known as that 'Cool and Spicy' chick at school.

She wasn't ready yet though, not ready to let Ikuto comfort her in the way she wanted most. Not trusting him _enough_just yet.

It was then that Yoru, the cerulean-eyed boy's Russian Blue cat with an attitude, jumped on the chair beside his owner. The pinkette jumped back, not knowing what the cat would do, not that it was capable of inflicting much damage on her, who had been damaged to almost the full max.

He meowed, begging for more attention, as Ikuto stroked the cat, his thin violinist's fingers passing down the cat's sleek back. "Oh, this is Yoru by the way. Sorry if he kinda scared you for a second there. He comes and goes as he pleases, kinda like myself I guess you could say.", said Ikuto, smiling at the cat's obvious persistence.

"Well then, I'll take it that you're hungry since you haven't exactly answered any of my questions for the past who knows how long.", he said, smiling his crooked smile that the pinkette seemed to fall more and more in love with.

He walked to the front door and held it open, keys in hand, and asked, "You coming?". He was about to take her to one of his favorite places to eat, a place he hadn't been to in almost four months, that is, if she would let him.

The pinkette didn't know what to say, knowing that Ikuto wouldn't hurt her in any way at all. She couldn't bring herself to say no, her still being traumatized, but with Ikuto there she felt at ease as if she could say anything in the world and all he could do was smile at her. She scowled at herself for being one of those people who couldn't just say no, and walked towards both him and the door, still not sure of which to choose.

**[Timeskip]**

"You'll love this place, trust me. It's may be a sort of hole-in-the-wall kinda place, but the outside doesn't matter now does it, since it's really the food that counts.", said Ikuto, who'd been thinking of all the questions Riku, the main waitress and his good friend, would down on him.

"I-I don't mind", said the pinkette in her small voice, obviously trying to sound more stable than she had a while ago. She had always hated the sound of her voice, it made her sound even more childish than she looked, not that her friends cared much. She then frowned at the thought of her friends, not knowing what to say to them or how she should explain her sudden change in attitude and whatsoever.

"Alrighty then. Well at least it's better than some of the edamame and horrible tasting, foreign bean stand they've got over there. I mean seriously, the foreign beans taste better at this amusement park I used to go to when I was a kid with my brot- my friends.", said Ikuto with a frown, thinking of the old well-loved place that was probably abandoned by now.

She then recalled the photograph she'd dropped in Ikuto's room, of his brother and father, both at a young age. Not sure if she should bring up the subject, ignorant of how he would react to her sudden question, she dropped the subject, seeing that they were standing at the door of the small diner which was apparently filled with a few couples who seemed to be enjoying their meals.

Amu could only smile as she looked at Ikuto, who'd been holding the door open for her.

The pinkette felt warm and cozy after stepping inside, glad that she was out of the cold, brisk wind and the now-drizzling rain.

After a moment, they were seated at a small booth to the left of the place, a vivid and beautiful picture of a lily in water hung on the wall beside them.

"Well if it isn't Ikuto-kun? It seems like you haven't been here in ages!", said the petite, purple haired girl who was apparently their waitress for the night. "Well anyways, do you want the usual?", she asked in her sing-song voice.

"Yeah Riku, its me. I've been-", said Ikuto with a pause, "around.", he finished. "I'm not hungry, thanks.", he added, knowing that he was there for the pinkette's sake, and not his own.

"What? Come on, you've got to eat _something _Ikuto.", said the pinkette; the boy's name like heaven leaving her lips.

"Deciding to talk now are we? Well, I just want _you _to eat something first. Then I'll see if I'm still hungry, alright?", said Ikuto, obviously wondering why the pinkette suddenly became concerned of his needs.

Ikuto sighed. "Just make it the usual then.", said Ikuto, knowing the order was for Amu.

"Is that all?", asked Riku with a sigh, disappointed that she couldn't get anything for the one person she longed so long to see. With a nod from Ikuto, she turned and left the table, following a group of table washers into the back of the diner.

Ikuto smirked as the girl left the table. He then focused his beautiful cerulean eyes on Amu's heavenly golden orbs. The pinkette looked away, taking in everything about the diner, such as the 'ancient', yet beautiful framed photographs that hung on the walls; the old wooden floor, and the authentic plants that seemed to peer out from every corner.

"So...", said Ikuto who had noticed the pinkette's distraction, "What do you think?", he asked cheerfully yet, at the same time, glumly.

The pinkette ignored his question, trying to hold her raging emotions back. "Ikuto. Why did you help me earlier? Why didn't you just leave me there? I want an answer.", said the pinkette who had looked down, her pink hair falling in her face and covering her eyes. She finally had an 'alone' moment with Ikuto where she could ask him about the day's happenings.

Ikuto stared in disbelief, yet he smiled. "I hate the rain, don't you?", said Ikuto, obviously trying to change subjects.

"Ikuto-", said the pinkette who's apprehension had caused her to clench her hands into fists, "Please. I want to know. Why did you help 'me'? Why didn't you just leave me there? It's not as if I deserved anything. Why are you even doing this? You take me to your house and try your best to help me, and now you take me out to eat. I can't give you anything in return! You deserve better, better than the disgusting filth that I am-that I've become. The one guy who never talks to anyone, never tries to fit in with anything, never wants to belong somewhere, and helps someone like me.", said the pinkette, who was now in tears.

It was just a matter of seconds later that the pinkette realized Ikuto had moved next her, holding her tight in his arms. She felt more secure in his arms than she had been in a long time, not wanting the moment to end although she knew it was wrong.

"Baka-", laughed Ikuto softly, his voice feeding Amu's heart, "Why would you even ask that? I would have done it anyways, just because it was _you_. I don't hang out with others, true, but it isn't because I don't 'want' to. It's because I can't . You don't understand now do you, and it's a long story just telling you now.

"I like you Amu, you're different from the rest of the girls at school. You 'try' to hide your inner self, just so you can fit in. I've heard everyone's stories of your 'Cool and Spicy' self, but that's not you, and I hate how you try and hide it. Why can't you just be yourself, not caring about what people think of you? I've always admired your determination to fit in, its brave of you, but can't you see that your friends, even me, want to see your 'true' self?"

The pinkette let out a small gasp, knowing deep down that Ikuto's words had meant something to her. She still wondered why Ikuto had taken it upon himself to aid the pinkette, the one girl who used to believe what others had said about the cerulean-eyed boy. She had heard the horrible rumours of how Tsukiyomi Ikuto was a filthy and wasted piece of trash that no one cared about; a mental case who had major problems, an 'emo' boy who locked himself up in the lonely world of depression and self injury. These weren't even close to the worse off things people had said, and she knew as a fact she didn't want to go there.

"Man, you're stubborn, but that's what makes you so damn attractive.", said Ikuto, smiling as the last words left his lips and hung in the air.

Amu had lifted her head, his 'angelic' words ringing in her ears. He liked her, loved her more likely, for who she was. Was it true? Did he even mean it? It must havebeen true though, thought the pinkette curiously; it was the most Ikuto had probably ever said to her, to anyone really. _He thinks I'm attractive_, thought the pinkette slowly. After everything she'd regretted doing, everything she regretted believing, and he still thought of her as attractive.

Ikuto lifted his hand to pull the pinkette's small chin up so that she faced him. He gently wiped away the pinkette's tears, not wanting to see her cry. He then smiled and once more took her into his arms, feeling again the 'matching of two lost puzzle pieces'.

Amu liked the feel of being wanted, especially by Ikuto, yet deep down she knew it was all wrong. Riku then came back with two plates and two drinks, setting the meals in front of the couple. She had never felt jealous over anyone before, but now, in front of her, was a girl curled up in Ikuto's arms, _her_Ikuto. She wanted for so long to be like the pinkette, curled up in Ikuto's comforting arms. She set the food down hastily and forced a smile.

"You didn't have to Riku.", said Ikuto dryly.

"I- I wanted to. You haven't been here in a while so just think of it as my treat.", said Riku as she bowed and turned, wanting to run off and retreat to the employee's room, and in the process she knocked over Ikuto's lemonade, causing the shiny glass to fall to the floor, breaking almost instantly. She looked in horror at the mess she had made, apologizing for the trouble she'd caused.

It was then that the manager of the place, a trustworthy man, walked over to the table where Riku was frantically cleaning up the shattered glass. "Riku, its alright. Just finish cleaning up and meet me in my office, alright?", said the manager with a smile. He knew how Riku acted, and this was not on that list.

All Riku wanted to do was to run off to the employees' break room, get her things and leave, probably to go home and sulk all day.

Not waiting to ask, Ikuto was already on his knees beside her, helping the purple haired girl clean up. His cerulean eyes met her light lavender ones in a long gaze that seemed to last forever. "G-Gomenasai Ikuto-kun, Gomen!", said the girl who looked as if she was about to cry. She had loved Ikuto for so long, not that she was aware of it until she saw _Amu _with him. It had pained her heart to see the pinkette with her Ikuto, her one and only Ikuto whom she knew better than he knew himself.

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't a life or death situation now was it? No ones hurt and that's all that matters.", said Ikuto with a smile that seemed to instantly comfort Riku, since she was clearly showing it with a smile.

After dismissing herself, Riku left the table, holding back tears as she walked made her way around the tables and into the manager's office. "Ahh Riku, so you've come. I wanted to talk to you about something. I got a phone call this morning from-", said the Manager Osaki in a slightly wavering voice, fearful of the reaction he'd get, "from your mother.", he finished.

Riku looked at the manager as if he'd committed the worst crime ever imaginable, not that he did of course. She hadn't contacted her parents in over five years, a decision she'd chosen for their own protection. "Shedid? What did she s-say?", asked Riku in a shaky voice as she took a kept Osaki's steady gaze. "She didn't say much, she just wanted me to pass on a message.", said the manager quietly. "She left you the address to a suite room inside of Easter. She also listed a time. Talk to Tsume, he's the one who got the call."

After reading the note, which to her disbelief, included a code symbol that only her family would know, Riku bowed and dismissed herself, making her way to the employee's room, readying herself to go home. She slid her apron off and counted the few tips she had made before making her way out, scowling at the fact that she had to go through the front and expose herself to Ikuto's forgiving gaze. She readied herself and hastily rounded tables and chairs as she made her way to the door. She stopped in its frame and turned, giving Ikuto one last, longing gaze before leaving, the familiar -ring- of the bell clicking after her.

Ikuto, not noticing the girl's dismissal, looked down at his bowl of food: Udon noodles, an egg, chives, two thin slices of beef, and two small rolls of sushi. He smiled, knowing Riku never forgot the meal he had ordered every Monday and Thursday each week for the past three years, and probably never would.

The pinkette looked at the food with a small appetite, knowing it was always wrong to waste food, especially if it was someone's treat. She then took the long wooden chopsticks and picked around lazily at her meal.

"You might as well eat it you know, you don't know what you're missing. Honestly just look around.", said Ikuto as he gestured to the other happy couples enjoying their meals before taking a bite out of his own meal.

The pinkette took a bite, not showing any sudden flash of emotion on her face as she finished. She felt the tenderness of the flavored noodles warm her mouth, a homey feeling that she would never grow tired of.

That was the one thing, beside practically almost everything about her, that he loved about the pinkette: her warm, childish smile. It warmed his heart in a way no one had before.

**[Timeskip] **

"Erm yeah, do you want me to walk you in?", Ikuto asked worriedly, "You can always make up some excuse that your so-called biology partner just randomly showed up and decided to take you to dinner and then back home.", joked Ikuto.

"I'm fine, honestly, and do you really think _my_ mom will let that slip so easily? What about my arm? How am I supposed to explain that?", said Amu who had already stepped outside of the car and was leaning on the window, grabbing her, now un-organized, schoolbag.

"Easy. Just say you were running with scissors which, sadly, is something you'd probably do.", laughed Ikuto, not knowing what he was in for.

The pinkette smiled her 'famous' crooked smile that everyone seemed to die for, despite the gender. She could already sense the sudden warmth that had filled Ikuto's cheeks, not exactly a blush just yet; an effect she'd had on people. "I would not.", she protested.

She thought then of the blue-haired boy, the only one who had, for the first time in her life, made her smile after something so abrupt and 'painful' had just happened. He was her own personal cure for depression or whatever you'd like to call it, not that it was fully and necessarily that.

"Something wrong?", asked Ikuto, seeing the clearly plain expression on her face.

"Am I _that_ easy to read? but no, just thinking about the horrible wrath of _motherly love_that awaits me.", whispered Amu, knowing that if she didn't leave soon, she would probably have another 'emotional breakdown' as she called it, or perhaps never leave which in her case, seemed like a pretty good option. "I-I've got to go. Look, thanks for everything really, but I don't know Ikuto. We've just met and I need some time, and I just can't think that you would even want me after what I said about you. Just think of me as another one of those rumour spreading, bitchy girls who gossips about every little thing that has to do with the one kid that seems wonderfully lost in his own world, watching the world go by. Thanks though, it is the thought that counts.", said the pinkette quietly before she grabbed her back, which had been lying in Ikuto's lap, and straightened her posture.

The pinkette had only fed him that lie for his own good, oblivious that her rant had turned into her thoughts on the boy, clearly telling him she was lying, not that he didn't quite get the concept already. She then walked away, holding her tears back, and begging for him to leave. She couldn't stand it with Ikuto around which was weird after she'd thought of him as her 'cure' of whatever you must relate it to. After all he'd done she already couldn't stand him, not in a bad way though. He made her lose her train of thought but at the same time, take away any stress or worry that she'd been dealing with. He was like the taped up second half of her heart which, after her father died, had been missing for a long time.

Ikuto could see where she was going with this. She would say her goodbyes and act like she was the bad guy who didn't deserve to be with him. Why don't girls ever think about what _we _deserved? What if we've been waiting so long for someone like them to come? Do they honestly ever think about that?, he thought. He wasn't about to let Amu slip out of his arms, not without a fight at least.

The pinkette had already dashed to the front door and was frantically searching for her key when Ikuto stepped out of his car, his very presence radiating in the night. He then began walking to her, to the one girl who was probably damaged for life that he had helpedsave, most certain that he would never let her go.

Amu felt her eyes tearing up as she finally recalled every memory of the day, taking in the vivid images that flowed into her head. She then felt something warm around her, embracing her tightly, before her knees buckled. He had taken her into his arms, embracing her as if she were a part of him that had once been lost, and now been found.

It was then that the door slowly creaked open, revealing two female faces. "Amu? What on earth?", asked Midori in her pre _Oh-you're-grounded-for-the-rest-of-your-_life tone. Ami stared at the cerulean-eyed boy, taking in his absolute beauty. She then noticed him looking at her and blushed. She sighed and mouthed the word "busted" before going upstairs and to her room.

**Riku's POV:**

I felt the warm and familiar feeling of tears that slowly slid down my face as I remembered the look on Ikuto's face as he sat next to he pinkette, Amu to be exact. It was an image he would have considered priceless, that I would have considered priceless if it were me in his arms instead of Amu.

What am I saying though? I'll never be worthy of Ikuto's love and affection, well the way I wanted it at least. I hadn't the slightest clue of why I was feeling pure jealously right now, knowing that deep down I should have felt happy, not for my sake but for his, the one who deserved it most. I knew Ikuto better than he knew himself, but I guess I'm not the only one, and I guess I should have known, that I was never meant to be.

I slid the paper out of my handbag's zipper and stared at the number and address clearly statred in bold, blue writing, Tsume's writing. I grabbed the phone and punched in the number, biting my lip before a hit send, hearing the call go through with the familiar sound of a call not being answered. At last, somewhere around the seventh ring someone answered, a vaguely distinctive voice.

"Hello.", he said, a masculine yet young voice asked, more in the form of a fact as if he'd awaited my call, belonging to Daisuke Sayuri, one of the people who had known me literally since birth.. "Daisuke. I'm- I'll be there, tomorrow, seven o' clock.", I answered, accepting my fate as I heard Daisuke's faint chuckle in the background as the line went dead.

I snapped my phone shut and looked at the clock: nine thirty seven, the same room number to the suite I was supposed to arrive at tomorrow. I laughed to myself, remembering the previous sight of Ikuto with Amu, me as their clumsy waitress, telling myself softly to let it go, and that he was happy now. But who am I to tell myself to stop thinking about him? I never could in the first place.

**Thanks for reading guys! Please review if you'd like for me to keep updating, which I'd really like to do [despite my busy and crazy life right now and I so much apologize, really I do]. Anyways, thanks again! Thanks to the people who helped me figure out the situation in this one, you know who you are(: P.S Next chapter [coming soon] will focus more on Ikuto/Riku P.O.V so you know it shall be awepic. Alright then. DTC is signing off~~**


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